Snowy Suprise
by CsillaDream
Summary: Finally all the fighting is done, Lightning is able to enjoy some peace but what is so important that her boyfriend needs to wake her up? And why is he leading her around and doing "couple-stuff" that they've never done before? /400 AF/


**Csilla: OMG! I can't believe I've finally written a HopeLight fic *^***

**Merry Christmas~ :D**

( - - - - )

If Lightning could say she was grateful for one thing on bright mornings, it was the 'black-out' curtains her new home sported; she no longer had to worry about waking up irritated by the sun's demands to get up. At the same time it was weird sleeping in comfort after fighting Sanctum, fighting in Gran Pulse, fighting Caius in Vahalla. Fighting all the time. After Serah had stopped him, Lightning was able to rejoin her sister and friends. Friends, who didn't seemed to change much since the last time she saw them. Except Hope. The angst-filled preteen had grown a lot in the ten years they had been apart. Aside from spending time with Sazh talking about the old days, the powered-pink haired adult often found herself drawn to the Academy - specifically one director. She was constantly amazed how much he had changed; Hope was so confident and yet there were times, he seemed like the same child Lightning had been protecting all those years ago.

It came as a huge shock to everyone when after a month of their reunion, the silver-haired adult confessed that he liked her and when she tried to distance herself, purely out of embarrassment of the announcement. He went up and beyond to continue saying it until she finally snapped: "God, you were never _this_ straightforward when you were younger," with a loud huff.

"I learned from the best," His confident tone pulled at her chest; she had spoken several times with Serah on the subject but her little sister only giggled behind her hand before showing a knowing smile.

"Is it weird to see me as an adult instead of the child you were constantly protecting?" It was times like this that reminded her that he was still the same Hope; Lightning cautioned a glance to see shimmers of defeat trying to overtake blue-green eyes. She watched them before voicing her response quietly: "It isn't..."

Standing in one of the back corners of Academia, Lightning accepted her companion's confession and when word got out Hope laughed as he watched his girlfriend remain stoic when their friends teased them. That was nearly a year and a half ago, bleary pale-aqua eyes opened when her communicator notified her of a new message. Sleep-intoxicated hands reached to press a button before hearing a soft _beep_: '_New message; received at 9:48 am_,' a short pause then Hope's voice: "_Hey Light... when you get this, meet me at Vanille's cafe... i'll be waiting,_" _'beep._'

Crawling out of bed, the former soldier headed to the bathroom to wash away the sleep and dreams from last night; hot water cascaded over her body as Lightning's head slowly clear and awoke. Squirting some shampoo into her hand, she quickly washed her hair before rinsing it out soon after; next conditioner but she left it in a little longer as she scrubbed her skin with a yellow pouf and body wash. Killing two birds with one stone, she washed away all the suds from both her body and hair; a few more minutes under the hot water, she deemed herself clean enough - for reasons unknown to her, Lightning felt the need to smell more like a girl ever since she started dating Hope.

At first it was a little strange but she soon adapted to her new surroundings and the ages of those close to her; she was seven years older than her boyfriend when they met but now, after being frozen in time, Hope was three years older than her. Academia 10 AF was a lovely place to start over, everyone was kind enough to understand the power pink-haired girl's situation. Rummaging through her closet, she pulled a dark red-violet shirt on with a belt that hung around her waist and then a pair of black pants. Serah had demanded her older sister to at least own a few casual clothes; Lightning slipped on a pair of boots before grabbing her coat then heading out the door. She quickly put it on before making her way through the snow-covered scenery towards the cafe Vanille and Fang opened a few months ago.

Academia was bursting with life; everywhere she turned, Lightning saw the peacefulness in their faces - a small part of her knew it was partially because of her sacrifice ten years ago as another reminded her of all the hardships that all of them had to deal with because of her. Biting her lip, she ignored both thoughts and quickly finished her trek through the snowy city until she came to a stop in front of a quaint cafe. Taking one last inhale of the chilled air, the adult stepped inside the warm atmosphere before glancing around for her boyfriend. The familiar silver mob of hair talking animatedly with one of the owners; a small smile tugged at her lips - Vanille and Hope had always been good friends since they met during the Purge. Not that she was much different - somehow along their long journey, Lightning had ended up having a soft spot for Snow but she still hated him. Very much.

"Ah, there you are, Light!" Hope's voice pulled her away from her thoughts as he waved her over with a smile; giving a short wave back, the rosette made her way over to them. To him.

When she made it to him, Vanille had disappeared; before she could really inquire about it, her boyfriend made a suggestion: "Wanna go ice skating today?"

Ice skating for the former soldier proved harder than she expected as she did her best to balance herself on thin pieces of metal; she shuffled about until a firm but gentle grasp pulled her. Hope chuckled lightly under his breath as he guided her, never leaving her side and hours later Lightning had grown used to skating; hands now holding each other in affection, she felt exhaustion getting the best of her.

"Feeling tired? How about we have dinner?" Lightning glanced over as he skated in front of her, pulling her right behind him and off the ice.

The walk to Hope's house was filled with various conversations ranging from recollections of the past to thoughts on the future. Everyone else's, of course. Stepping inside, the former soldier could smell something amazing in the air; confused, she glanced over at her boyfriend - he had been with her since she stepped into Vanille's cafe so when did he-?

Entering the dining room, the table had been set and the food appeared to have just been prepared; the thought began to recross her mind but stopped mid-way when Hope pulled out her chair for her. Biting the inside of her cheek, she muttered: "I could have done that..."

His only response back was a light chuckle as he took his own seat across from her; the dinner was peaceful - no need to rush; just simply enjoying the other's company. After finishing the delicious meal, Hope walks over to her seat and extends his hand out: "C'mon... there's something I want to show you,"

The outside air was chilled enough to heighten her senses but not enough to deem a coat needed; before she could ask him what it was he wanted to show her, Hope shot off a few burst of fire into the air above them. Watching them as they lit up the night sky, something brighter caught her eye; Lightning looked over to the source - windows from the building across from them began lighting up in an odd pattern. Curiosity taking the better of her, she watched as more came on then some more; when no more seemed to be coming on, she felt her body pulled back a little and suddenly the strange pattern wasn't a pattern anymore. It was letters that formed words that spelled-

"Will you marry me, Light?" Those words he spoke. Those words that were spelled out on the building across from them. They were the same and yet, hearing them caused her heart to race as she replied with the only word in her head, "Yes"

( - - - - )

**Csilla: If Light's personality changed towards the end, I'm very sorry... Not very used to writing her but I think it came out well &I hope all LightHope fans enjoy! :D**


End file.
